The last athlete to captain both the football and basketball teams at Augustana, Cecil Youngblood earned a total of seven varsity letters in coach Jim Borcherding’s basketball program and the football program of coach Ben Newcomb.
An imposing figure on both the hardwood and gridiron, Youngblood experienced considerable success in both sports. As a four-year football letterman, he helped the Vikings to a 25-10-1 record in his career, including a CCIW championship during his senior season. He helped lead the Augustana cagers to a 68-19 record, a conference championship and two NCAA Division III Final Four appearances in his three letter-winning seasons of basketball.
A tight end and split end for Newcomb’s Vikings, Youngblood was the fifth-leading receiver in school history at the time of his graduation, with 57 catches for 866 yards and 13 touchdowns. He snared 27 passes for 436 yards and six touchdowns during his junior season. As a senior, he caught 20 passes for 285 yards and another six scores as Augustana went 7-2 and captured the CCIW title. In a 69-14 win over Elmhurst, he caught three touchdown passes to tie a school record which stood until 2000.
After helping the Augustana basketball team to a national quarterfinal appearance in the Vikings’ final season in the NAIA as a sophomore, Youngblood was a key contributor on teams that reached the first two NCAA Division III Final Fours in 1975 and 1976. Held in Reading, Pennsylvania, both tournaments ended with Augustana finishing third in the nation. Youngblood was a second team All-CCIW selection as a senior after averaging 8.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and a team-best 5.2 assists per game. 17 years later, he was back at the Final Four with the Vikings—as an assistant coach for the 1993 team that finished as national runner-up in Buffalo, New York.
Youngblood wasn’t quite finished with his football career after leaving Augustana. In 1979 and 1980 he had pre-season stints with the Kansas City Chiefs. He didn’t make the team’s regular season roster, but chronicled the experience in a book, Training Camp, which he co-authored with writer C.J. Mack. He returned to Augustana, serving as an assistant coach in both football and basketball. He also put together a Hall of Fame career with the Quad City Irish Rugby club.
Cecil graduated from Augustana in 1976 with a degree in biology and received his master’s in educational administration from National Louis University. He’s been at Beloit College for the last 16 years. He was the school’s men’s basketball head coach from 1997-2007 and currently serves as Associate Dean of Students and Director of Intercultural Affairs.
Cecil and his wife Londa are the parents of five children—Kynthia, Josh, Jessica, Jen and Greg. They have two grandchildren as well, Michael and Gevez. He lives in Beloit, Wisconsin, where he is an elder at Central Christian Church.
When asked for adjectives to describe his Augustana years, Youngblood responded “Unbelievable, exciting, memorable and challenging” and added, “Augustana will always be home and family.”
